In case of Hung parliament

The Congress wants a non-BJP government, the Third front wants a non-Congress and non-BJP government, and the BJP wants to take the support of any combination on its terms. The President sure has a tough task ahead.

It is indeed stocktaking time for parties in the run-up to government formation. All parties are getting ready to woo MPs to get the requisite numerical strength in Parliament.Before and during the polls, every party is an enemy of the other. But after the elections, all parties, doubtful of their position, start wooing those they criticised and opposed during electioneering. As usual it is the voter who is left in the lurch, looking like a fool.

Electoral bargains from the very beginning of the Lok Sabha term do not augur well for the country’s future.It is appalling to see our leaders compromising their ideology and conviction for power. Can people trust those who change their colour on the basis of the electoral outcome? No wonder, the educated are losing interest in election and democracy.

The Constitution gives the right to every eligible citizen to contest the elections. No wonder we have many individuals and parties in the fray. Any number of parties can align to form a majority in Parliament. As more and more parties contest and come together to form a government, governance becomes more difficult. The leader of the coalition is forced to abandon its policies. The Constitution can be amended restricting the number of parties that can combine to form a government.

Indians faces another incident of racism

Over 50 Indian passengers flying Air France had a "harrowing" time "with hardly any water and food" at Paris airport after their aircraft developed a technical problem and complained that they were victims of "racial" profiling.

The tired passengers, who arrived Mumbai late Monday night after being stranded for 28 hours at Paris, said they were confined to a "small" lounge at the airport from 10 pm on Sunday till 7 am the next morning.

"We were kept in a small room (lounge) with hardly any food or water and we were told we could not leave the airport. We spent a whole night over there in that condition," a passenger, who travelled on aboard the flight-AF 218, said.

The passengers, on their way to Mumbai from the US via Paris, said while other foreigners were taken to hotels shortly after their plane returned to the airport due to a technical problem following a four-hour flight, the Indians were taken to the lounge and just given a bottle of water and a sandwich.

Giving details of their "harrowing" time, one of the travellers, one among passengers said, "No foreigner would have been treated like the way we were treated. People were lying down on the floor over there (at a place at the airport) where immigration takes place."

Accusing Air France of "racial" profiling, a passenger said the officials there even had threatened that they would be handed over to the police if they did not stop protesting. No reason has officially been given for the delay.

Air France, in a press release, said, "Passengers with a valid transit visa were put up at nearby hotels for the night." It also regretted any inconvenience caused. But the 55 Indians said they were made to wait over ten hours for their transit visas in dismal conditions.

Sudhakara Reddy, president, Air Passengers Association of India, said, "We receive a lot of complaints from our members and Indian passengers about the discrimination they face on board some European airlines, but it's difficult to win such cases as it is hard to produce proof to substantiate the allegations."

Pakistan’s initiative

Pakistan President Asif Zardari’s initiative to have a fresh dialogue with the new government coming to power in India is a welcome gesture. If Pakistan responds to India with a positive mindset and acts sincerely, it will pave the way for better commercial, cultural and sporting relations between two countries. With the new world order favouring a collective combat against terrorism, Pakistan’s call may be considered a positive signal.

President Zardari wants a “commercial relationship” with India and is keenly looking at the “markets of India for industrialists of Pakistan.” He does sound genuine but he has to first withdraw the hordes of jihadi terror peddlers dumped on India, stop the stream of infiltration and close down all jihadi terror manufacturing corporates firmly established in Pakistan. Peace and terror cannot coexist.

These terrorists and extremists are harmful for not only neighboring countries but also for Pakistan herself. In my view Pak can take help of India as well as USA in war against terror.  

India has always shown a firm belief in peace and negotiations to settle its disagreements with Pak. India should make a deliberate effort to impress on Pakistan the need to establish a democratically elected government there and then go ahead with the peace dialogue and economic ties.

Why they are showing middle finger??

These are two pictures appeared on same day in The Hindu. First picture is of the leaders who voted in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections are (from left) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani, and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, displaying the indelible ink mark on their forefingers. Second picture is of the Bachchan family outside a polling station in Mumbai, displaying the indelible ink mark on their middle fingers.

First of all i want to ask why they are showing middle fingers? Whether their votes would be in/valid, whether there was a different rule for them and whether they know or not that the gesture was vulgar. The normal standing instruction is that the ink should be applied on the left index/forefinger (though there are alternate rules in case the forefinger is missing or if there are no fingers in some disabled persons). SO, by this gesture the Bachchan family has not only offended election commission but also the entire nation. If in any case the ink was put on their middle fingers they should have avoided the gesture by showing all fingers.

People who shock humanity with their inhuman behavior expect humane treatment ?

The report that Ajmal Amir ‘Kasab’, the lone terrorist captured alive in the Mumbai attack, has retracted his statement is painful. Ajmal’s frequent u-turns are aimed at prolonging the judicial process.His claim that he confessed under pressure is meaningless. What he did, entire world has watched live. He has claimed that he is a minor and the court has no jurisdiction to try him. He has also complained that he was subjected to physical torture.

Why do people who shock humanity with their inhuman behavior expect humane treatment when they get caught? Is there any cause to treat Ajmal and his ilk sympathetically? Does his being a “minor” make a difference to the victims of his attack?

It is surprising to see ‘Kasab’ being treated as an ordinary criminal. He is not a petty thief. He is an enemy sent on a mission by foreign forces. He must be treated as an enemy combatant.

As the world’s largest democracy, we no doubt have the responsibility to ensure that an accused gets a fair trial. Which is why, even in the face of clear evidence against ‘Kasab,’ we proceeded to provide him legal counsel. But if this trial prolongs then it will give a bad signal about our security scenario and about our capabilities to deal with criminals. At the same time with the 24-7 media capturing every detail of the case and making sensational stories on the issue will only harm our security and will give 'Kasab' the unnecessary hype.

The people are exasperated at the manner in which the trial is progressing. Should a terror accused like ‘Kasab’ be subjected to such an elaborate trial when the evidence against him is so conclusive? The least we can do for the victims of 26/11 is give them timely justice.

Youth Power!

When someone talks politics today, it is like noise. He is immediately told “We have better jobs to do.” There are many issues that concern the young. The economy, security scenario and people losing their jobs as some of the areas needing urgent action. I thinks young politicians can have better ideas related to these issues.

So where does “Youth” stands in the 15th Lok Sabha elections. With an estimated one quarter of voters aged between 18 and 25 years, every party is trying to woo young voters through campaigns specially designed for them and young candidates are being projected as “important faces” of the party.

Are young people really impressed? To an extent yes, with some youngsters even starting voluntary campaigns. At the same time occupied with their academic demands and employment prospects, the young find no identification with any of the tactics for luring vote banks. Politicians are not interested in listening to youths and understanding their needs.

The young are disillusioned with the older generation of leaders and their power battles and feel a great disconnect. But not many names come to mind of young politicians, apart from a Rahul Gandhi or a Milind Deora or a Sachin Pilot.

A leader is someone who should inspire. Who should make people realise their duties, make them think. How many leaders today satisfies that criteria? At the same time we also should Analyse what is right and wrong. Don’t just follow.

For many, Rahul Gandhi has become the symbol of the young blood and the change that they speak about. Varun Gandhi on the other hand does not strike a chord. Clearly, in the eyes of the youth, no one can get cheap popularity, they understands what is right, what is wrong.

The country needs change and new ideas. I am glad that the parties are thinking about youngsters and putting up at least some young candidates. They may lack experience, but it is important to give them a chance to gain experience. They are setting an example and telling us that politics is not an area of darkness for the young.

Yes, it feels nice to know that there are young people in fray. But let us not forget that ‘who are they?’ After all, with dynasty rule firmly in place in all political parties, it is sons and daughters of senior politicians who dominate in the line up of young politicians contesting polls this time. It is not easy for others to break into the system within a party and its strict hierarchy.

Observers say the youth are not a vote bank, even as 40 per cent of voters are below 35, as pointed out in the media. How many will vote for the Samajwadi Party’s manifesto of doing away with computers or English education? How many vote for BJP's mandir in ayodhya? But then, what options do the youth have?

On Ragging

Ragging is an evil that continues unabated despite the Supreme Court directive to educational institutions to end it. In recent times almost every week we heard a new case of ragging from around the country. Sometimes juniors tried for suicide, sometimes they were beaten heavily, and some times they even lost their life due to this evil.

Recently a first-year management student from Coimbatore, suffered serious injuries due to ragging by his seniors. Some two weeks back a student lost his life due to ragging in medical college of Dharmshala. It is not fair to blame the college authorities for not preventing the attack on freshers. Sometimes student was staying in a private hostel, where the senior students allegedly went in the middle of the night and demanded money.

Ragging implies mild mischief played by seniors on new entrants. But when such play results in illegal assembly and causes irreparable damage to the victim, one should not make an attempt to bestow respectability on the ugly activity.

Ragging has lost its meaning completely today. When a students comes out of school and joins a new medical or engineering college he knows very little about this completely new environment. There are students who come from villages or remote areas, they need to improve their personality, communication skills and they need a help in their academics. Ragging in a way can be a tool to remove the shyness, improve the intellectual capacity of freshers and let them learn how to face the new world of professionals, it can help in increasing interaction between senior and juniors.

With the number of colleges and hostels ever increasing, and new admissions running into lakhs across the country, it is difficult to keep a continuous watch on students to prevent ragging. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that the victim is usually alone with no friends to approach after the incident, as he is still new to the college. The strength of the seniors lies in their numbers. A victim of ragging is bound to rag his juniors.

If institutions can open two or three weeks earlier exclusively for the freshers, they will get sufficient time to know and befriend one another.The hostel staff need to be vigilant at the beginning of a teaching session. It is important to raise a brigade of students dedicated to eliminating ragging. It should not only report instances of ragging but also intervene to stop them.